What's up, Twinkletoes?
by Shiantor
Summary: Aang doesn't know how he's ever going to confess his feelings to Katara. He can't talk to Sokka about it...so instead he asks for help from his earthbending teacher...Taang and Kataang.
1. Chapter 1

Just a random story I came up with and had to write. It's set between "The Puppetmaster" and "Nightmares and Daydreams"

All characters are copywrited to Nickelodeon.

EDIT: No longer a oneshot!!!

Enjoy!

* * *

The golden sun was making it steady rise into the morning sky, drowning out the darkness of night. The earth below was covered mostly by forests and mountainous regions, upon which the sun poured its morning light. The peaceful scenery was disturbed only by the gentle whooshing sound of a sky bison, gliding peacefully through the strewn clouds. 

Upon its back sat four figures, all dressed in the reds, blacks and occasional golds of Fire Nation clothing…although none of them were actually Fire Nation citizens.

Aang, sitting on his pet bison's head, was staring out towards the sunrise. He still felt a little shaken from the events of the previous night, but on the whole he was fine.

He looked back at the others. Toph was dozing quietly in the corner of Appa's platform-like saddle. Sokka was casually polishing the blade of his sword…the very sword that had almost killed Aang the night before. He knew Sokka was being controlled at the time, but the thought still unnerved him.

And then there was Katara, sitting with her knees tucked up to her chest and her back turned. She was clearly the worst affected by what had happened.

Aang sighed. He jumped nimbly off Appa's head and slowly floated down onto his saddle, beside Katara.

"You okay?" he asked sympathetically.

Katara looked at him, with worry etched across her face. "I just…can't believe she made me do that," she said quietly. "I mean, using waterbending to control plants is one thing, but…to use it on a person…to reach inside them and take away their free will..." She shivered. "I just don't see how anyone could do that."

"You had no choice," Aang said. "Hama was insane. She would have killed me and Sokka if you had done nothing…"

"No, it's not that," Katara said quickly. "I know I did it to save you and I'm glad I did. It's just the way she looked at me when the villagers took her away…it's like she knew…she knew I would be tempted to use bloodbending again." She sighed. "I would have never thought waterbending could be used so darkly. When I was doing it, it felt wrong. I felt tainted…evil."

"You're not evil, Katara," Aang said comfortingly. "Come on, we know you better than Hama does. You're kind, understanding, protective…you're anything _but_ evil."

Katara smiled weakly. "Thanks, Aang," she said, leaning across to plant a kiss on Aang's cheek, making him turn pink. "You're a good friend."

* * *

Later that morning, the group had landed in a quiet forest clearing to rest for a few hours. 

"Okay guys," Sokka said, consulting a scroll of parchment. "It looks like we're still a good way ahead of schedule. We can probably stay here until tomorrow and still make it to the rendezvous point a few days early for the invasion."

"Good plan," said Katara as she clambered down from Appa's back. "I think we could all do with a day to loosen up after…well…yesterday…"

Aang sat down on a rock, not really listening. Katara's earlier words were still echoing in his ears.

'_Thanks, Aang. You're a good friend.'_

Is that all he would ever be to her? A friend? He sighed. He knew he needed to tell her how he felt soon…but how? He'd lost count of the number of times he had tried to confess his feelings, but something had always come up and gotten in the way. Besides, he had never been one for keeping his nerve around Katara.

He looked over at Sokka, who was leaning against a tree, making adjustments to his schedule to accommodate their earliness. Aang pondered for a moment. If anyone could give him advice about girls, it would be Sokka. Perhaps he could help him out. But Aang's flair of hope suddenly diminished as he remembered how protective Sokka was of his little sister. He had once brutally tackled Aang to the ground in anger after he accidentally burnt Katara's hands with firebending. He dreaded to think how he would react if he told him he had feelings for her.

Running his hands through his short, black hair, Aang slumped back on the rock he was sitting on, letting out a groan of despair.

But he suddenly yelped in surprise as the rock bucked him in the spine, throwing him to his feet.

"Oh no you don't, Twinkletoes," said Toph from behind him, making him whirl round to look at her. She was standing with her arms crossed, and her misty green eyes looking straight at him from behind her black bangs. Aang always found this especially creepy, as he kept remembering that Toph couldn't actually see him due to her blindness. "We may be ahead of schedule for the invasion, but you're seriously behind on your earthbending training. Come on, get moving."

* * *

Two hours later, Aang was struggling to keep up with another one of Toph's demanding training sessions. Pillars of rock were jutting up left and right, constantly keeping him on his toes as he bounded this way and that to avoid them, occasionally having to shatter one with earthbending to clear his path. Small boulders rained down upon him, and Aang was quick to pummel them out of his way, trying to direct them towards his blind teacher. 

It was just the two of them, battling one another using the very earth beneath them as a weapon. Sokka and Katara generally stayed clear of these training battles. Sokka, possessing no bending abilities of his own, kept away in fear of his life, and the last time Katara and Toph had attempted a joint water-and-earth training session with Aang, things hadn't gone very smoothly.

"Keep alive, Twinkletoes!" Toph shouted as she continued to shatter every rock directed her way with ease. "You'll have to do better than that!"

Aang stopped running, slammed his foot to the ground and thrust his fist solidly in Toph's direction. A wave of earth thundered towards her, only to be torn apart by her own earthbending prowess. She then retaliated with a swift flick of her palm, making a shaft of stone erupt from the earth…and strike Aang square in the chest before he could react. Winded, the young Avatar was sent flying across the rocky terrain where they had decided to practice, and crashed painfully into the ground.

Coughing and spluttering, he climbed carefully into a sitting position, and looked up to see Toph standing before him with her hands on her hips.

Sighing in exasperation, she offered a hand out to him. "You're losing it, Aang," she said.

Aang took Toph's hand and allowed her to pull him to his feet with surprising strength. But he couldn't hide the puzzled expression on his face. "Uh…you called me Aang," he said.

"Well, that is your name, isn't it?" Toph said. "Unless there's someone else in our group with such ridiculously light footsteps."

"No, I mean…you normally call me 'Twinkletoes'," Aang said. "And normally you would have just thrown me to my feet with earthbending. What gives?"

Toph shrugged. "I guess it's cos I know something's on your mind."

"Uh…thanks," he said. "How…how did you know?"

"Please," Toph laughed. "You're talking to a girl who can identify someone by their _footsteps._ Yours seem to have changed rhythm lately, as if you're worried about something."

Aang heaved a sigh. "I guess I am."

"Okay, so spill," Toph said. "What is it? The invasion?"

"No."

"Training sessions?"

"No."

"That freaky puppet lady?"

"No."

"A girl?"

"…"

"Ha!"

"I didn't say anything!"

"Come on, I can practically _hear_ you blushing," Toph said, smirking in triumph. "So then, who is it?"

Aang hesitated. Should he really tell Toph about his feelings for Katara? Would she say anything to her? Then again, Toph _was_ a girl, even if she didn't act like it half the time. Maybe she could help him out…

Looking at the ground nervously, he mumbled _'Katara.'_

His voice was barely audible, but Toph's sensitive ears clearly picked it up, as she suddenly burst out laughing. "Seriously?!" she said. "You like Katara? Miss _Sugar Queen?!_"

"Shh!" Aang said quickly, looking around to make sure Katara wasn't anywhere nearby.

"Don't worry, my lips are sealed." She snorted. "But it _is_ pretty funny!"

"Why?" Aang said. "Who did you think it was going to be?"

"I dunno," Toph said with a shrug. "Some random Fire Nation girl, or maybe that Onji girl you were telling us about. But _Katara?_"

"Why's it so surprising?" Aang asked. "You saw us dancing at that party, didn't you?"

Toph gave him a look.

"Felt!" Aang said quickly, trying to cover up his mistake. "You _felt_ us dancing at that party. I mean, obviously you couldn't have _seen_ us, because…"

"Oh, save it," Toph said, holding out a hand to silence him. "Yeah, I know you were dancing with her, but everybody was dancing with everybody at that party. I didn't think it _meant _anything."

"Well…it did," Aang said. "I like her, Toph. I mean _really_ like her. I want to tell her how I feel but I just don't know how."

Toph sat down on a nearby boulder. "So…what's that got to do with me?"

Aang gulped. "Because I was hoping…you could help me. Give me advice or something."

An awkward silence fell between them for a few moments.

"Uh, well that's great Aang, but shouldn't you be talking to Sokka about this?" Toph said finally. "I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm not exactly little-miss matchmaker."

"Come on, how would Sokka react if I told him I liked his sister?" Aang said. "Almost being impaled by his sword _once_ was bad enough, I'd rather not go through it a second time."

"Fair enough," said Toph. "Look, I can't pretend I know everything about this whole relationship business…but I think I can help you keep your nerves under control." She sat down cross-legged in front of Aang, and motioned for him to do the same.

"Erm…what are we doing?" Aang asked, sitting opposite his earthbending teacher.

"Just relax," said Toph. "Okay, we're going to try a little role-playing here. For a moment, just imagine that I'm Katara."

"But…I can still see it's you," said Aang.

Toph reached out and yanked his red headband down over his eyes, plunging him into darkness. "Not anymore," she said simply. "So, imagine I'm Katara. Imagine this is your big moment, and you're going to tell her how you feel."

Aang gulped and felt his face turning red. "You mean…tell you…what I'd tell her?"

"Don't be such a baby, Twinkletoes," Toph said, sensing the uncertainty in his voice. "It's only a little role-playing, it doesn't mean anything. I'll keep quiet, and only speak if I think you're getting too panicky."

"Umm…okay," Aang said. He took a deep breath, and tried to place himself in the right state of mind. He imagined the scene: He was about to go off to face Firelord Ozai. This could potentially be his last moment with Katara. He pictured her sitting in front of him, instead of Toph, her long brown hair cascading down her shoulders, with a concerned expression on her face.

Aang swallowed, and spoke. "Uh…Katara…l-look, there's…there's something I need to say and…I-I've been wanting to say it for a long time. You see…the truth is I…ever since I met you…"

"You're rambling," Toph said, making Aang flinch. "Keep calm, plan your words, try again."

Aang nodded nervously, and tried to reassert himself back into his imaginary scene. "Okay…um…Katara…If I don't return from this fight, I want you to…to know something…"

"Stop twitching," Toph said. "You're trembling like a scared mouse, calm down."

"Toph, I'm not sure this is such a…"

"Aang, what was the first thing I taught you about earthbending?" Toph said. "That you need to face it head-on, and stop trying to find away around it. If you're really planning on doing this, then you need to have that same attitude. Remember, when you actually go for it, every word you say to Katara will be set in stone, and there's no way you can go back on them. Make sure you say the right things, and make sure you really mean them."

Aang was surprised at how helpful Toph was being. It was an unusual practice, but a direct one, as he should have expected from her. But she was right. If he was going to do this, he would just have to grab the bison by the horns and go for it. He would only get one chance in the long run, and he had to ensure it went perfectly.

Taking another deep, cleansing breath, he planned his words carefully, and then opened his mouth to speak.

"Katara…we've known each other for a long time now. I know it's only been a few months, but to me it feels like years have passed since you found me in that iceberg. And all this time, there's been something that I've been meaning to tell you, and I may not get another chance to say it…"

He could picture Katara's face so clearly in his mind, he felt as if she was right there in front of him. He could hear her imaginary response. _"What is it Aang? I don't understand."_

Aang could feel his throat tighten up, denying further speech. He could only do what instinct was telling him to do. He started moving his head forwards, and he could see Katara's moving towards him. After what seemed like an eternity, he felt his lips lightly come into contact with hers.

Aang's heart leapt with triumph only to plummet once again as he remembered it was all just an imaginary daydream. And at that moment, he felt his blood turn cold.

Because he realized the lips he was lightly kissing were definitely real…but were not Katara's.

* * *

Toph wasn't quite sure what had just happened. She had just been sitting there, listening to Aang's little monologue, listening intently to his breathing and heartbeat, making sure his nerves were in check. He was still pretty nervous, but she was already expecting that. 

What she hadn't expected was for Aang's lips to suddenly touch hers. And when they did, she immediately froze. The legendary Blind Bandit had been caught off guard, and her normally focused, solid thoughts scattered. She didn't know what to do, and felt panic rising. But she could feel Aang suddenly tense as he too must've realized what was going on.

They just sat paralyzed, unable to move from shock…until they heard Sokka speak.

"Hey guys, Katara says we need to…oh…"

Aang and Toph immediately broke apart when they realized Sokka had seen them. Toph could feel Aang hurriedly removing his blindfold, and his heart was racing with panic.

"Um…sorry if I'm interrupting anything," Sokka said. "I should just…probably…go back to camp…"

With that, Toph could feel Sokka's footsteps slowly moving away.

After a moment's hesitation, Aang started speaking very fast.

"Toph, I-I'm so sorry! I just got carried away a-a-and I didn't even realize what was happening…"

Toph was struck dumb. Never had she experienced something so surreal. Aang…_kissed_ her. She didn't know what to do…hit him, apologize…kiss him back. Shaking her head clean of these unusual thoughts, she did what her brain was screaming for her to do…slap a hand over Aang's mouth to shut him up.

"Calm down, Twinkletoes," she said once he was silenced. "I-it was an accident, just forget about it…but I think we should agree _never_ to speak of this again." She removed her hand.

"Agreed," Aang replied. "Although…I don't think I can say the same for Sokka. What if he tells Katara!"

"Don't worry," Toph said, cracking her knuckles with a mischievous smirk plastered on her face. "He won't be telling _anyone_ about what he just saw."

Aang laughed in relief. "Thanks Toph," he said. "You're a good friend."

Toph smiled. "Look Aang…" she said. "All I can really say is…if you do exactly what you just did then, but with Katara…I have no doubt that you'll knock her clean off her feet."

Aang laughed again. "You've been a great help Toph…thanks."

"No problem," Toph said, climbing to her feet. She still couldn't shake the kiss from her mind…but she knew one thing that would take her mind off it… "Now, if you'll excuse me, pupil Aang, I have an idiot to pummel." She started stomping back off into the forest through which Sokka had departed, making small rocks whirl threateningly around her fingers. "Ohhh Sokka!"

* * *

There we go! I tried to avoid the cliched "Toph didn't know what to do...so she kissed him back" routine and just stuck with the panicky accident kiss. Hope it turned out okay!

I might add further chapters if I recieve enough requests to do so.


	2. Chapter 2

Yup. Chapter two

* * *

Aang had already returned to camp when Toph arrived. Katara was busy preparing a meal whilst Aang was absent-mindedly Airbending nuts into the air for Momo, although his eyes were all the while on the young Waterbender. 

Toph walked through the trees, smirking to herself as Sokka followed with a rather unusual walk, wincing with every careful step.

Katara looked up as they approached. "Sokka, what happened to you?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Nothing to worry about," said Toph brightly. "Old Snoozles here fell out of a tree whilst looking for us. Nothing major. Ain't that right Sokka?" She gave him a friendly but firm punch on the arm, making him twitch.

"Y-yep," Sokka said in a pained voice that seemed to be an octave higher than usual. "Just…fell out of a tree. I'm fine…"

"Well, I'm glad you're okay," said Katara, although she seemed slightly unconvinced. "Come on, lunch is nearly ready."

Toph sat down, grinning triumphantly at Aang whilst Sokka sat down slowly and very carefully. Aang couldn't help but chuckle.

* * *

Toph stretched her arms and lay down on the earth, enclosed in her little rock tent, after having bade the others goodnight. She lay awake, lost in her own thoughts…but her thoughts all seemed to concern Aang. No matter how hard she tried, her train of thought would always choose the track that led straight back to her earthbending student. 

_Come on, it was just a stupid, lousy kiss_, she thought angrily to herself. _It didn't mean anything, he just went too far with his role-playing, it was an accident. It wasn't even meant for me._

But still, she found herself grazing her fingers across her lips. No matter what way she looked at it, she couldn't erase that feeling from her mind. That intimacy and closeness she had never felt before. She just wished she could experience it again…and have it directed at her instead of Katara.

She slapped her hand to her forehead. _No, no, no! This is so wrong!_ She thought. She couldn't keep thinking about Aang in this way. He was her student, her friend. Besides, he had obvious feelings for Katara, so what chance did she have with him?

Toph froze. Did she just consider the chances of getting together with Aang? What in Hei-Bai's name was wrong with her?

But she couldn't help it. Those feelings he had for Katara…she wanted Aang to feel that way about her instead. To feel that closeness she had had a taste of earlier, that sense of unity…

But how could she betray Aang like that? She couldn't take him away from Katara and force him to love her instead.

However, a thought struck her. Technically, he wasn't with Katara yet, and she was pretty sure Katara didn't have the same feelings for Aang as he did for her…so if Toph _did_ get together with him, Katara would think nothing of it. But if she couldn't tell Aang how she felt…all she had to do was make herself more attractive to him. It wouldn't be betraying him. It would just be…presenting another option. If Aang chose her over Katara, then it would be his own choice, and Katara would be none the wiser about his previous feelings for her. Everyone would be happy…well, except for Sokka.

Toph smiled to herself. Tomorrow, she would become a new person…

* * *

Toph wandered through the market the following morning, carrying a bag of gold coins she had managed to save from her famous scams in Fire Fountain city. 

The many moving footsteps made it easy for her to feel her way around, and identify which goods were being sold at which shop. There were weapons, food, general goods, everything a thriving Fire Nation village should have. But she was looking for somewhere specific.

And finally…she found it. Those familiar, muted vibrations that she felt from cloth and items of clothing. She wandered over to the store and slowly stepped inside. Deciding to hide her extraordinary earthbending senses, she feigned true blindness. holding a hand out in front of her as if trying to feel for any obstacles, and taking each step carefully, probing the floor with her feet before placing her weight on them. A worried expression on her face completed the illusion of helplessness.

Her act paid off as a woman came over to help. "Are you okay?" she asked sympathetically, placing a hand on Toph's shoulder. Her voice was surprisingly kindly for a Fire Nation woman. "You look lost."

"Is…is this a clothing store?" Toph asked innocently.

"Yes, it is," laughed the woman lightly. "What are you looking for?"

"I just want a…a new look," said Toph. "But it's just so difficult when…you know." She waved a hand in front of her sightless eyes.

"It's okay dear," said the woman. "How about I help you?"

"Thank you," said Toph sweetly.

"What sort of look are you going for?"

Toph paused, thinking carefully. She hadn't really considered it yet. "I'm not sure. I travel a lot, with my friends, so something casual and flexible I guess," she said. "But…people say I look too much like a boy…" She made her eyes glisten slightly to make herself seem upset. It had always been a useful skill around her parents back home. "And I just want to look more…feminine."

"Don't worry," said the woman kindly. "I'm sure I can come up with something for you. Follow me…"

Taking a deep breath, she followed the kind shopkeeper to the back of the shop…to begin her transformation.

* * *

"Hey guys…anyone seen Toph?" Sokka asked later that morning. 

Aang and Katara were standing on the bank of a shallow river, waterbending a stream of water back and forth between them.

"Nope," said Aang, trying to keep his attention on the water to ensure it didn't collapse. "I thought she was with you."

"Well, she wasn't around camp when I woke up," said Sokka thoughtfully. "So I thought she must've gone for a walk or something."

"For several hours?" Katara said, sending the snake of water back towards Aang with an extra burst of speed. "She would've returned by now."

"Exactly. So where is she?" Sokka looked around as if Toph would suddenly leap out from a nearby bush.

"Well, why don't you actually try _looking_ for her?" Katara said, sounding slightly irritated with trying to train Aang and talk to Sokka at the same time. "She can't have gone too far."

"Well, I've realized that when I go looking for Toph, bad things happen," Sokka said. "But I think if _Aang_ went to find her, he'd have more luck."

Aang noticed Sokka's tone and froze…as did the stream of water hurtling his way. The missile of ice struck him hard on the head, making him lose his balance and stumble into the river.

Katara gasped but Sokka just couldn't stop laughing. "Aang, are you okay?" Katara asked.

Aang jumped up to his feet instantly, spitting out water as he did so. "F-fine! Just fine…" he quickly bent the water out of his soaked clothes and gave Sokka a glare. "But I really think _you_ would be better at tracking Toph down…"

"Nonsense," Sokka replied airily, clearly enjoying his little game. "Just think of it as practice. If you're going to save the world, you might as well start off with saving Toph."

"Oh, in the name of Tui and La…" Katara muttered angrily. "_I'll_ go if it'll make you feel better!"

But as she started heading for the trees, Aang ran over and stopped her. "Don't worry about it," he said. "You don't have to go, I'll find her. You just stay here."

Katara sighed. "Thanks Aang," she said. "Just get back soon, okay?"

Aang blushed, but smiled. "Sure thing."

Donning his red headband, Aang leapt up into the trees and started jumping from branch to branch nimbly, searching for the blind Earthbender.

He scanned the ground below with every leap, in the hopes he'd spot Toph wandering between the trees, but there was no sign of her. Eventually, he looked ahead to see that the forest was thinning, and moved on into a bustling village.

Jumping down from the trees, Aang adjusted himself before setting off, trying not to attract attention as he walked into the village and blended into the crowd. He looked left and right, letting his eyes skim quickly through every face he could see, hoping to find his friend.

After about twenty minutes, Aang sighed in exasperation. "Come on, Toph, I know you're here somewhere…"

His eyes fell upon a pretty, long-haired Fire Nation girl in a red dress, whom he jogged over to quickly.

"Er, excuse me," he said quickly, and the girl turned to look at him. "I'm, uh, looking for a friend of mine and I was wondering if you could help. She's a little shorter than me, with black hair tied into a bun, and faded green eyes. Have you seen her?"

The girl shrugged. "I'm afraid I haven't seen anyone," she said. "But maybe if you looked a little harder, you'll find her."

"Right, er, thanks," said Aang, and he started looking around again, trying to spot Toph amidst the crowds. In his worrying, he hadn't actually recognized the girl's voice at all. She sighed.

"Gee, Twinkletoes," she said, making Aang freeze. "Who'd have thought an Airbender could be so dense?"

Slowly, Aang turned to look at the girl…and sure enough, Toph's face was smiling back at him.

"Toph…is that you?"

She laughed lightly. "So…how do I look?"

"Uh…" Aang stopped to take in all of her new appearance. Her black hair had been let down to its full length, which was down to her mid-back, and a gold, flame-shaped hair clip kept some of her bangs out of her eyes. She was wearing a dark red, sleeveless dress that was a little longer than her usual attire, and was tied at the waist with a red and gold sash. Over that she wore a red, poncho-like garment, made of a partially transparent material, and her meteor bracelet, which she usually wore on her upper arm, was now fastened around her wrist.

"It's…different," said Aang, unsure what else to say. She looked stunning.

Toph sighed. "Look, Aang, as you may have already guessed, I'm blind. I can't just look in a mirror and decide for myself how I look, so it'd really help if you gave me a little more feedback than just 'different.'"

Aang scratched the back of his head nervously. It was just such a shock to see Toph dressed like this, instead of her usual clothing. What should he say?

He felt an unexplained heat rising to his cheeks. "You…you look really pretty, Toph…"

* * *

Just made it a little longer. If anyone wants to see Toph's outfit, I drew and coloured a pic of it. Go to and search: by:Shiva627. Access my userpage via any of the pictures shown, and click scraps. The pic of Toph should be there. Sorry I can't post a proper link. 


	3. Chapter 3

"Great, now we've lost _two_ teammates," said Sokka, pacing back and forth a while later. "And one of them is the Avatar…we are soo screwed."

"It's only been twenty minutes, Sokka," Katara said. "They'll be back soon."

"So what, twenty minutes isn't long enough for something to go wrong?" said Sokka, tugging at his hair in panic. "They could've been abducted by Fire Nation bandits…or fallen off a cliff…or eaten alive by rabid lemurs!"

"What?"

"_It could happen!" _

"Just calm down," Katara said. "You're worrying too much about this."

"But the invasion is less than two weeks away!" Sokka said. "What're we gonna tell the troops? 'Hey guys, sorry, but we kinda lost the Avatar, looks like you can all go home.'"

"Well then," Katara said in a mock-serious tone. "It looks like you have no choice but to master all four elements yourself and stand in for Aang when the invasion comes."

Sokka just looked at her seriously. "This is no time for joking, Katara."

"Oh, come on…" Katara paused, and squinted through the trees. "Wait, they're back!"

Sure enough, Aang and a raven-haired young girl came wandering through the trees. Before Aang could even open his mouth to speak, Sokka seized him into a bone-crushing hug.

"Aang, thank goodness you're safe! The invasion is back on, baby!"

"Uh…Sokka…can't breathe…" Aang gasped.

Sokka released the Avatar and looked at the girl next to him. "Uh…Aang, you were supposed to bring _Toph_ back," he said, raising an eyebrow at him. "Remember? The little blind girl? Short temper? Nasty feet?"

The girl frowned.

"Uh, Sokka," said Aang, smiling slightly. "This _is_ Toph…the new Toph."

The warrior stared at the girl for a good three seconds, taking in the red clothing, the long hair, the flame-shaped hair-pin…before responding. "Aw, come on Aang! I know Toph was a tough teacher but you didn't have to go and _replace_ her!"

Aang smacked his forehead. The girl just sighed before kicking the ground with her heel…even Katara winced slightly as the shaft of rock struck Sokka in the groin.

Frozen in pain, Sokka's eyes started watering and he let out a whine that was so high-pitched it would make bats jealous. Crumbling to the ground and curling up into a fetal position, the girl stood above him with her hands on her hips.

"What were you saying about my feet?" she said.

Sokka's whimper was barely audible. "Hi Toph…"

-------

That evening, the gang sat around the fire, engrossed in conversation. Toph's new look seemed to be the main topic.

"Well, it definitely seems to suit you," said Katara, for what must have been the third time. Toph remembered how Katara had once tried to bring out her feminine side at a day spa in Ba-Sing-Se. She was probably just happy that Toph had managed it of her own accord. Toph had to keep reminding herself that she was now Katara's rival, even if the Waterbender didn't know it herself.

"Yeah. It sorta makes you look more girly," said Aang. "N-not that you didn't look like a girl before, it's just that…"

"Don't worry Aang, I know what you mean," Toph said with a smile. She could feel Aang's heart beating faster than it normally did when he talked to her. Blushing slightly, she realized that its rhythm was the same as it was when they were role-playing yesterday, just not quite as fast. It was a good sign.

"What happened to Twinkletoes?" Katara asked, noticing Toph's abandonment of Aang's usual nickname.

In truth, Toph knew that Aang hated being called 'Twinkletoes.' It was the main reason she kept calling him by that name. But now she had to try and stay in his good books…especially if she wanted to draw his attention.

"I dunno," Toph said in response to Katara's question. "I just thought it was getting old. New look, new person."

"Not entirely," mumbled Sokka, a bag of ice resting in his lap.

As the group started to retire to their tents, Katara tapped Toph on the shoulder.

"Can I speak with you?" she said. "Alone?"

Toph gulped. "Uh, sure." What was this about?

Katara lead Toph away from the campsite, into a deserted clearing, out of Aang and Sokka's earshot. The two stood facing each other in silence for a moment, disturbed only by the chirping crickets.

"I thought you said you don't care what you look like," Katara said. It was a friendly tone, but still carried an air of suspicion.

"Well…" Toph said, trying to make something up. "I just thought that…"

"And if I remember correctly," Katara continued. "You said it was because you weren't looking for anyone's approval."

Toph sighed. She knew where she was going with this. "So?" she said.

"So, it means you _are_ looking for someone's approval now," Katara said triumphantly.

Toph looked to the ground and blushed. There was no point denying it now, what else was she going to say? She just nodded in response.

"Ha! I knew it!" the Waterbender exclaimed. "You like him, don't you!"

Toph nodded again, blushing furiously. "Please…don't tell Aang."

Katara nodded. "What about Sokka?"

Toph sighed. "Sure, go ahead. He probably knows already anyway."

"Really?"

"Uh-huh," said Toph. "Just don't tell Aang. I don't want him to know just yet."

Katara gave her an odd look but shrugged. "Sure. If you don't want me to, then I won't. But all I can say is…good for you, Toph!"

Toph gulped again. Why did Katara always have to make things more awkward for her? "Uhh…thanks."

"You'll be fine," Katara said, giving her a friendly pat on the shoulder. "Just go easy on the teasing and he'll completely fall for you."

"You think so?" said Toph.

"I know so," Katara responded. "Now come on. Let's get back to camp before they realize we're missing.

Toph smiled awkwardly before starting to make her way back towards camp, with Katara following suit.

-------

Katara smiled, watching the young Earthbender in front of her. _Who knows,_ she thought to herself. _If it all works out…she could end up being my sister-in-law.

* * *

_

In case you didn't catch the hint, Katara thinks that Toph likes Sokka. That's why she was puzzled when she was told not to tell Aang.

Hope you like it! Chapter four coming soon!


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